Vital Signs: June 2016
Vol. 5, Issue 6

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AVMA Council on Education

Dear friends and colleagues,

Last week, a committee of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) met to consider whether the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (COE) should be accorded continuing recognition as the official accrediting agency for colleges and programs that offer the veterinary professional (DVM or VMD) degree. Official recognition by the USDE is necessary for students enrolled in COE-accredited colleges to be eligible to participate in a federal student loan program. It is also relevant to state licensure requirements that graduates must satisfy before being allowed to practice veterinary medicine.

This periodic review of the COE includes an opportunity for the public to submit written and oral comments relevant to accreditation of veterinary medical colleges. As a member of the COE for the past three years, I am pleased to report that the meeting not only had a positive outcome, but also involved representation from two of Virginia’s top veterinarians, Drs. Jeff Newman and Bill Tyrrell, who provided oral comments in favor of recognition. Drs. Newman and Tyrrell, who own and operate multi-doctor practices in Northern Virginia, presented informed and favorable opinions on the clinical competency and quality of graduate veterinarians.

To ensure that the COE and the accreditation standards are responsive to changes in veterinary medical education as well as any concerns expressed by the profession or public, listening sessions are held in conjunction with annual professional meetings and all proposed changes to standards are submitted for public comment before they are finalized. This rigorous process of review and analysis is necessary to confirm that accredited colleges graduate veterinarians who are well prepared to serve the public “through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge,” as described in the Veterinarian’s Oath.

At the conclusion of meeting, the committee recommended that the COE continue to be formally recognized as the official accrediting agency for veterinary medical education in the U.S. This process reaffirms the council’s status as the agency responsible for assuring that veterinary education meets the high standards expected by students, parents, the public, and the profession — and reminds us of the importance of our own accreditation. Last year, the COE reaccredited the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine for a period of up to seven years. This is the maximum period of accreditation and reflects the hard work of our college in ensuring that our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students receive the best education possible.

Awards & Activities

Featured Stories

Travis Burns and Scott Pleasant examine an X-ray at a horse farm in Floyd, Virginia.

If the shoe fits: Scott Pleasant and Travis Burns bring unique skills to equine podiatry service

Horse owner Joe Calicchio of Lexington, Virginia made his first visit to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg after a local veterinarian referred one of his horses with a complicated lower limb issue. Scott Pleasant, director of the equine podiatry service, not only successfully treated Calicchio’s horse but also introduced him to college farrier Travis Burns.

“Dr. Pleasant is the one who go us started,” Calicchio said. “When we first came, we worked with him to deal with medical issues, but right now we’re on our own with Travis unless there’s a problem.”

Calicchio and his wife own several horses that have benefited in one way or another from Pleasant and Burns. “We feel very confident in their services,” he said. “I take the time out of my day — it’s an hour and a half trip — when needed because I feel good about the service here.”

Every year, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital sees approximately 1,200 cases through the equine podiatry service, one in five of which involves therapeutic podiatry. The service treats patients within a 35-mile practice radius or on referral. Recently, the college completed construction on a new equine podiatry barn.

Virginia Tech first submitted a bid to host the American Society for Virology annual conference in 2009, and it was approved in 2011. This was the first year that the conference was held in Blacksburg.

The annual meeting of the American Society for Virology, which was held at Virginia Tech for the first time this year, not only attracted a large crowd with the world’s leading virus experts but also gave faculty, students, and alumni of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine an opportunity to showcase their virology research and network with colleagues.

The Virginia Tech organizing committee from the conference, which brought more than 1,200 scientists to the university’s campus, was co-chaired by X.J. Meng, University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Virology, and included veterinary college representatives Roger Avery, Lijuan Yuan, Tanya LeRoith, and Andrea Bertke.

Sarah McDonald, an assistant professor at both the veterinary college and the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, gave a lecture on her rotavirus work, and most of the college’s graduate students in virology presented at the annual meeting or volunteered their time. Several college alumni also attended the conference. Among these were Sue VandeWoude (DVM ’86), a virologist at Colorado State University who was the first recipient of the college’s Lifetime Achievement Alumni Award last year, and her colleague Carmen Ledesma-Feliciano (DVM ’12).

Otto Lanz and John Rossmeisl

Otto Lanz, John Rossmeisl promoted to professor at June 6 board meeting

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved the promotion of two faculty members at the
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at its June 6 meeting.

Otto Lanz, a faculty member in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, was promoted to professor of surgery. Lanz joined the veterinary college in 1998 following a small animal internship and surgery residency at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Lanz completed his doctor of veterinary medicine from Auburn University and is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

John Rossmeisl, who is also a faculty member in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, was promoted to professor of neurology and neurosurgery. Rossmeisl completed a small animal internal medicine residency at the veterinary college before joining the faculty in 2002. He completed a doctor of veterinary medicine from Auburn University and a master’s degree from the veterinary college. Rossmeisl was recognized with the 2014 Zoetis Award for Research Excellence for his work on brain tumors.

Virginia Buechner-Maxwell named director of Center for Animal Human Relationships

Virginia Buechner-Maxwell, professor and large animal internal medicine specialist in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, has been appointed the new director of the Center for Animal Human Relationships (CENTAUR).

“As part of the Virginia Tech community, CENTAUR is uniquely positioned to organize and execute collaborative studies that contribute to the growing body of information which recognizes the benefit of animal interaction on human mental and physical health,” said Buechner-Maxwell, who has been a member of the CENTAUR Advisory Board since 2012 and earned an advanced certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy Activities and Learning from the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work.

She added, “Since animals are a central element of the program, maintaining good health in these partners is essential to the program’s success. As veterinarians, we are also committed to assessing the impact of these programs on the animals, and developing better and more sensitive methods for detecting and treating health problems as they arise.”

As the new director, Buechner-Maxwell plans to expand the center’s research activities to better understand and document the benefits of the animal-human relationship while continuing to maintain the already established programs. Because of her background in large animal medicine, Buechner-Maxwell is particularly interested in studying the impact of equine-assisted programs on human health. She also hopes to enhance collaborative efforts at the center.

Lijuan Yuan, associate professor of virology and immunology, meets with Nobel laureate Peter Doherty during her six-month sabbatical at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Lijuan Yuan gains rotavirus research experience during sabbatical in Australia

An enteric virus researcher for over 23 years, Lijuan Yuan, associate professor of virology and immunology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, was thrilled to spend a six-month sabbatical at the University of Melbourne in Australia, working with Barbara Coulson in her prestigious rotavirus pathogenesis and immunity laboratory.

“The discoveries in Barbara Coulson’s laboratory contribute greatly to the understanding of rotavirus-host interactions, innate immunity, and the development of rotavirus vaccines,” explained Yuan.

As both a Ph.D. student and post-doctoral scientist, Coulson worked with the co-discoverers of rotavirus in humans, Ian Hamilton Holmes of the University of Melbourne and Ruth Bishop of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. Today, Coulson continues to work on rotavirus innate immunity, pathogenesis and receptor usage. Though she also studies rotavirus, Yuan focuses more on adaptive immunity and vaccine development. “So this was very good for me to go there and be a part of her research team and to learn something different from the focus of my research” said Yuan.

Sarah McDonald, an assistant professor at both the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, co-authored the paper on viral evolution.

Researchers study the trial and error of viral evolution

Viruses evolve quickly. A small tweak to the genetic makeup of a mostly mild strain of influenza can give rise to the next pandemic. An equally small change to the same strain in a different setting can fade it into obscurity. The right trait at the right time is everything.

A group of scientists from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and Yale University are studying exactly how viral evolution occurs, and how that knowledge might help prevent disease.

The researchers analyzed multiple studies on three well-known and varied viral families, all of which have genomes that consist of segments of genetic material called RNA. RNA viruses are ubiquitous in nature, infecting most animals, including humans, plants, and bacteria.

Neutrophils ‘vacuum’ microbes away from the brain

Meiqing Shi, along with fellow researchers from the University of Maryland, College Park, and Nanjing Medical University, China, uncovered a new way that neutrophils, or white blood cells, combat infections in the brain — by removing microbes from the site of infection to be eliminated elsewhere instead of disposing of them directly onsite. The researchers made their discovery using intravital microscopy.

Shi, who is an assistant professor at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland, College Park, elaborated on the importance of the discovery. “We hope our study opens a new field by using in vivo imaging to investigate how white blood cells interact with microbes in the brain, providing the scientific basis for targeting white blood cells as preventive and therapeutic interventions in brain infections,” said Shi. The report appears in the March 2016 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

Focus on Faculty: William E. Monroe

William E. Monroe leads the charge on diversity issues at the veterinary college

William E. Monroe

When not seeing patients in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s internal medicine service or conducting research on endocrine diseases such as diabetes mellitus, William E. Monroe is searching for new ways to make the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine a more diverse and inclusive place.

Monroe, who is a professor of internal medicine in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, has taken on many leadership roles in the college’s ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. He was a member of the college’s original committee on diversity and is the chair of the current committee.

“I got started after an incident happened in class where someone made a comment that offended a student that I really didn’t know how deal with,” Monroe explained. He then attended an on-campus training to be better informed about how to respond in future situations.

After learning about gaps in the college’s recruitment of underrepresented populations, Monroe decided to attend conferences and speak with student groups about diversity recruiting. He also connected the college with Virginia Tech’s Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program (MAOP). Founded in 1993, MAOP helps promote the diversification of the Virginia Tech campus as a whole.

Alumni Corner

Megan Taliaferro (Photo by Tidewater Community College)

Megan Taliaferro (DVM ’02) combines love of animals with teaching as head of new veterinary assistant program

Megan Taliaferro is as comfortable treating a mini horse as she is to a goat, and she looks forward to adopting a new lab puppy this summer as a companion for her tabby, Owen. But in addition to her love for animals, Taliaferro has an affinity for teaching – the main reason why she chose to leave a Suffolk animal practice to be the first head of Tidewater Community College’s new veterinary assistant program.

“When I was practicing, I discovered I loved teaching,” said Taliaferro, who is at TCC after five years as an associate veterinarian at Nansemond Veterinary Clinic. “Whenever we had interns, they would stick them with me. I realized I not only love this profession, but love teaching others about it.”

TCC’s inaugural class of 18 working toward a Career Studies Certificate in Veterinary Assistant began the program this spring and will graduate in December 2016. The 17-credit program prepares students to assist and support licensed veterinary technicians and veterinarians in the health and handling of small domestic animals and exotic species.

The Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) held a Staff Appreciation Lunch on June 16 to thank the center’s staff for a year of hard work, recognize the completion of internships, and honor and award individual staff members for their exceptional work during the past year. EMC interns Duncan Pearce and Sarah Khatibzadeh received certificates for completion of a one-year rotating internship in equine medicine and surgery. Amanda Schuckert received a certificate for the completion of a neonatal internship. In addition, Sara Lundy, operating room supervisor, won the Director’s Award; Pearce won the Faculty Award; and Gail Figgins (pictured right), imaging, won the Above and Beyond Award. Lunch was provided by Back Street Catering courtesy of EMC Advisory Council Chair Peggy Steinman. (Photo by Nat White Photography)

The college held an informal potluck luncheon for Bess Pierce, associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences, and Paul Schmidt, the college’s emergency planner. They also brought Delaware, who was the college’s first in-house therapy dog, with them for students, faculty, staff, and friends of the college to bid farewell. Pierce and Schmidt have both accepted faculty positions at Lincoln Memorial College of Veterinary Medicine. During their time at the veterinary college, Pierce served as director of the Center for Animal Human Relationships and earned the highest veterinary honor in the nation for work in the human-animal bond, while Schmidt overhauled the college’s emergency planning efforts.

Puppy litters visit the Veterinary Teaching Hospital

The lobby and exam rooms at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg were filled with puppies in mid-June. A litter of Catahoula Leopard Dog puppies from Clinch Mountain Catahoulas in Cedar Bluff, Virginia recently visited the hospital’s neurology service for BAER hearing tests, while a litter of Newfoundland puppies from Celtic Cross Newfoundlands in Manassas, Virginia recently visited the cardiology service for heart disease screenings and stole some hearts during their stay. The puppies were a big hit with fourth-year veterinary students on rotation, faculty clinicians, and technicians at the hospital. View a Facebook photo gallery of the puppies' visit.

College has presence at CVC East Conference in Virginia Beach for first time

From left to right, Adam Henderson (DVM ’11), vice president of the Alumni Society, and Lynn Blevins, director of alumni relations, welcome attendees at the CVC East Conference in Virginia Beach in May. In addition to an alumni luncheon, the college had a booth at the conference for the first time this year. The annual conference offers continuing education for veterinarians in the region.

Students, faculty attend summer veterinary conference in Ocean City

The Maryland Veterinary Medical Association hosted its annual summer conference in Ocean City, Maryland, on June 26-28. Several students and faculty members from the college participated in this year’s conference, which offered professional development, continuing education, and time for attendees to network and enjoy social activities, including the annual "veterinarians vs. students" volleyball game.

The awards ceremony also recognized support staff who had contributed to the teaching hospital’s success, including housekeeping, facilities, communications, Vet Med Café, mechanical services, reprographics, dean’s office, and IT support employees.

Ludeman Eng honored with emeritus status

Ludeman A. Eng, associate professor of biomedical sciences and pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of “associate professor emeritus” by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive an emeritus certificate from the university.

A member of the university community since 1981, Eng served as the Department Head for Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology in the veterinary college for 15 years and served as the chair of the Department of Basic Sciences at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine for five years.

Doris Tickle and Dean Cyril Clarke

Doris Tickle named June Staff Member of the Month

For the 18 years she has worked at Virginia Tech, Doris Tickle has been a hardworking, dependable staff member in whatever role she has assumed. Her nominator described how “She consistently goes above and beyond to help fellow staff, students, and faculty.” Currently, Tickle works in the Glassware Service Lab and “knows the glassware policies very well and will not hesitate to guide students in the right direction on lab and safety practices. She is also very kind and gets along with everyone she meets. When people bring items to the lab for cleaning or sterilization, she greets them with a smile and immediately starts working on the items they brought her.”

Tickle is also always eager to assist fellow co-workers and students, including driving to other labs to assist with work when needed. “She is always thinking of our lab users and what they may need,” said her nominator. “Doris is very enthusiastic about her job and extremely hardworking. Doris encompasses all the qualities of an outstanding co-worker.” Because of this continued dedication to her job, Tickle also recently received the Customer Service Excellence Certificate from University Organizational and Professional Development.

More Awards & Activities

The American College of Veterinary Microbiologists recently established two travel awards in memory of two ACVM Diplomates who were active contributors to ACVM and to the field of veterinary microbiology, and who are very much missed. The Brenda Love Memorial Award provides $1000 annually to support travel by a Ph.D. student to present his or her research at the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians annual meeting, and the Elankumaran Subbiah Memorial Award provides $1,000 annually to support travel by a Ph.D. student to present their research at the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases. The ACVM website has more information about the application process.

The Office of Academic Affairs hosted workshops and lectures in May for two speakers with relevance to the college’s curriculum revision process: Nikki Woods and Mahan Kulasegaram. Woods is the director for the Centre for Ambulatory Care Education at Women’s College Hospital, a scientist at the Wilson Centre, and an assistant professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Her work examines the role of biomedical knowledge in clinical reasoning and value of basic science training in the development of medical expertise. Applying principles of memory and learning to medical education, she has begun to look beyond the problem-solving aspect of diagnosis to the cognitive resources that support clinical reasoning. Kulasegaram is currently a scientist at the Wilson Centre and the University of Toronto MD program. His academic point is as assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Kulasegaram’s research examines educational assessment from both a psychometric and cognitive perspective. His work aims to advance assessment theory and practice by conceptualizing assessment as an instructional opportunity for the transfer of learning.

Ben Okyere, a Ph.D. candidate in Michelle Theus’ laboratory, won the Best IMSD Graduate Presentation Award at the 2016 Mid-Atlantic PREP/IMSD Research Symposium in Richmond, Virginia, in May.

Thomas Inzana, the Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Chair in Bacteriology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, gave a continuing education talk to the Association of Veterinary Microbiologists on “Veterinary Mycology: Traditional to modern methods for culture and identification of fungi.” He also presented a poster at ASM Microbe 2016 on “Histophilus somni Survives within Bovine Macrophages through Inhibition of Lysosome-Phagosome Fusion.” Inzana also served as chapter editor and author on “Commercial Methods in Clinical Veterinary Microbiology” for the textbook “Commercial Methods in Clinical Microbiology” by Wiley with X.J. Meng, Tanja Opriessnig, and Lora Ballweber as co-authors.

Michelle Theus, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, received the Virginia Tech Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science Junior Faculty Award in the amount of $60,000 per year for the next two years.